" Sister ... you don't look well . Are you alright ? " : Celeste's voice slid into the room like warm honey . But I heard the blade behind it now . 81 55 vouchers I stiffened . My eyes lifted to her face , the same face that once lit up my childhood like a lantern in the dark . She looked perfect , as always . Glossy black hair cascading over her shoulders , warm brown eyes filled with what appeared to be concern . She looked like safety . Like home . But I knew better now . " I didn't sleep , " I said quietly , lowering my gaze . " I ... I had a nightmare . About Lord Cassian ." Her hand landed gently on my shoulder . " Shhh ... walls have ears , " she whispered . " You've been under so much pressure . I understand . But you have to be careful not to say these things in the future , especially in the north . " Pressure ? I bit the inside of my cheek . Pressure wasn't the word . Pressure was what I'd felt the day I failed to awaken my wolf . This ... this was something else . After last night , after standing outside that balcony and hearing my own mother hand Celeste a reward for betraying me , there wasn't anything left inside me to press . I was hollow . Cassian hadn't said a word after it happened . He'd just dropped me off on my attic bed , soaked through from the storm , and vanished . Not a taunt . Not a threat . Not even a look . He just left . Somehow ... that silence hurt less than Celeste's smile did now . Now , I followed Celeste down the corridor like I knew nothing . One foot in front of the other . Surprisingly , I only felt numb . How could someone act so pure yet so evil at the same time ? Perhaps I had been naive , so naive to think that a wolfless girl deserves some love . " I've prepared a bath for you ," Celeste said , as if she were doing me a kindness . I nodded without answering , letting her lead me into the room . The tub was full of milk and petals , lavender , rose , violet . They were my favorites , and Celeste knew . The water steamed softly in the candlelight . It looked like a bath meant for a queen . Or a bride . I stripped in silence and stepped in . The warmth soaked into my skin , but it didn't reach my bones . Celeste sat beside me , humming , chatting about old memories I barely heard . Something about sneaking pies from the kitchens . How I used to curl up in her bed during thunder . I remembered those nights . Her arms wrapped around me when the storms got too loud . The time she gave me her scarf after I scraped my knee . How she used to call me " little mouse " when I couldn't sleep . Back then , I thought those moments meant something . Now ... I wasn't so sure . 11:01 Wed , Sep 10 glinted in my pinned - up hair , strands curled delicately around my face like I was being prepared for display . For years, I wondered why my hair was blond . Why my eyes were blue . Why I didn't look like Celeste , or my mother , or anyone else in Nightfall . Everyone else had thick , dark hair . Warm brown eyes . Earth - toned skin kissed by the southern sun . As for me , I had always seemed out of place . My skin was unnaturally pale , the kind of pale that made people whisper about sickness or fragility . My features are unmistakably foreign . For years I told myself there could be only one reason , I must be an unfortunate anomaly . Now ... I think I finally understood why . Before my thoughts could spiral , the maid returned . " Alpha Collin requests your presence in the drawing hall ," she said . Then , after a glance , added , " Lord Cassian is adamant on seeing his bride . " Bride . I stood . My fingers curled slightly at my sides , just enough to keep them from shaking . I knew I shouldn't be mourning . This place had never been kind to me , never warm , never safe. And yet ... something inside me pulled back at the thought of leaving . I should've felt relief . Instead , all I felt was the weight of the unknown . Because no matter how useful I thought I was ... I had seen the way Cassian looked at me . Like he was still deciding whether I was worth keeping or burning . Sadly , I knew that even the useful bled when he was done with them . " My , how romantic of him , " Celeste's voice cut through my daze , her innocent smile sharp as glass . " Elder sister , aren't you thrilled to meet your groom ? " AD Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!